Apparatus for treating grain or the like



P. V. AUSTIN.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING GRAIN OR THE LTKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31. 1919.

lpawmso Patente May W, 1921.

STATES PAUL V. AUSTIN, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

PARA.

. at FOR TREATING: GRAIN OR. THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Fatent.

Patented May 11%, 19%1.

Application filed May a1, 1919. Serial n. 301,025.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that 1, PAUL V. Aps'rm, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Treating Grain or the like, of which the following is a s ecification.

his invention relates to apparatus for use in treating seed, grain or the like for the purpose of destroying the spores of injurious fungous growths.

It has been customary before sowing oats, corn, wheat, or other grain or seed, to treat the seed or grain with a disinfectant, such for example as a solution of formaldehyde, for killing or rendering inactive the spores of the fungous growths known as oat smut corn smut, wheat rust and other injurious growths. The usual method is to dip the grain into a receptacle containing the disinfectant. The grain must then be spread out and left standing for .several days, and should be frequently stirred before it is dry enough to be put into bags, or before it will feed properly in the seed drills.

One object of this invention is to provide means for applying the liquid to the grain in the form of a fine spray or mist, while the grain is in motion. Another object is to subject the moving grain, after it has been sprayed, to a current of air for quickly drying it, so that it may be placed in bags, or

used at once for seedm Another object of the invention is to com ine the spraying operation with the operation of cleaning and separating the grain, by attaching a suitable sprayin device to a grain cleaning or fanning mil of any suitable sort wherein the grain before being subjected to the cleaning mill or separator is subjected to the spray and is then dried by the air current in the separator, so that when the grain leaves the separator it is readyfor use as seed.

In the accompanying drawin Fi ure 1 is. a central longitudinal sectionfi elevation on line 1-'-1, Fig. 2, of a fanning mill to which a spraying device has been attached for spraying grain in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, thereof.

The accompanying drawings show a well known type of rain cleaning, separating or fanning mill w ich may advantageously be used in connection with this invention and which includes the usual hopper A from which the part or inclmecl ledge 12 of a reciprocating shoe 1B. The shoe is provided with separain discharges on the upper rating screens 5' b to which the grain passes in a thin layer. All the grain passes through the screen 5' and the coarse foreign matter, such as straw, chafi, small stones, etc., tails ofi over the end thereof, while the screen I) is intended to separate small seeds and other small matter from the grain falling thereon from the screen 6, the small material passing into the seed box 6 The grain flows over the surface of the screen and drops, together with the grain passing through the lower end of the screen 6, onto screens 0 c of a lower reciprocating shoe C. In its passage from the upper shoe ]B to a lower shoe 0, the grain is subjected to a current of air from a fan D, the current being controlled by windboards, to efi'ect a final separation or cleaning of the grain.

The purified grain passes over and through the screens 0 c where it is further subjected to the action of the air blast from the fan D, and tails off of the lower end 0 of the shoe C. A separating, cleaning or fanning mill of any other suitable construction, or a device of any other kind in which the grain is subjected to an air blast, may be used.

It has been found that by spraying or moistening the grain with the disinfectant as it passes upon the separating screens of the fanning mill, a thorough destruction of the fungous growth is effected since the grain is agitated and rolled by the motion of the reciprocating shoes so that all parts thereofare sprayed or moistened. The spraying may be effected by any suitable means capable of providing a fine spray or mist, the device shown comprising a tank F containing the disinfecting solution which is discharged under pressure into a hose or pipe f having at its end a valve-controlled spray nozzle F, The tank F is conveniently mounted in any suitable location on the separator, for example on the upper portion of the housing of the fan D, and the nozzle F is preferably secured to a cross bar f of the separating frame by-a clip or device 7 in such manner that the liquid discharged therefrom is directed toward the stream of grain passing from the hopper. The pressure forcing the liquid from the tank F may be derived in any suitable manner, for exwith the solution as explained, pass downample b means ofan airlpump f by means of whic air'under pressure may be forced into the tank F. "As the the ledge b itspreads out mto a thin la er,

in passes over and the individual rains or kernels rol on the surface thereo and on the screen 6', thereby exposing their entire surfaces to the action of the spray from the nozzle F,

' By. this means every in or kernel that may be infected, or w ich ma carry dele ter-ious s ores will be thorough y acted upon a of the current of air from the'fan and ren ered safe for use as seed. A spray ing device of any other ldnd may be emplolyed, v

. he grains or kernels, after being coated wardly onto-the lower shoe C and in their passage are subjected to the dryi'n influence and by the time the ain rea'chesthe end' 0 of the shoe 0 it is ry enough to be put into ba or to pass freely through the seed dri s.

This results in a great saving in time, since 'not onl are the two operations of cleanin and'dismfectin the grain completed simuE taneously, but t e time and labor usually required to dry the grain'are saved.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus for treating grain, the

combination of means for cleaning and 'se aratin the in,'means for spreading t 0 grain in a t in layer on said cleaning and separatin means, means for-treating the ain wit an atomized spray of disinfectmg agent as the in and separating. devices, and means in said apparatus for simultaneously removing moisture from the; treated in and se arating foreign matter there rom while 1: e

same is passing through said a paratus.

.2. In an apparatus for treatlng grain, the

' combination of a shaking member at one end of which the and over whic thegrain travels in a thin layer, means for directing a solution inthe form of a'spray onto the moving grain as it passes over the receiving end in passes .onto the clean-' ain to be treated is received 0 said shak- .di-vidual grain with said so ution, said means including a reservoir for'sa'id solutionfrom' which the solution is forced by air ressure,

- n and means for removing some of t e moisture from the grain and for' separating foreign matter therefrom as it passes throu h said apparatus. I 3. 11 an apparatus for treating grain, the -combinationof a hopper, an inclined reciprocatin member beneath said hopper over which t e grain' passes as it leaves said hop.- per, a spraynozzlead'acent. thereto for directing .a spray of isinfecting material toward said inc inedmeoi'procating member, said reciprocating, member causing the v grain'lto spread out that the individual grains mayroll thereon in the path of said spray and be thoroughly coated thereby, and means for passing-a current of -airthrou h said apparatus to remove moisture from t e \gr'ain as it leaves'said reciprocating member and t to remove foreign matter from the grain. 4. The combination 'of a grain cleaning and separatin device including shaking shoes' 'rovided with separating screens, means orblowin' a current of air through said cleaning device for removing foreign matter from the grain, means for feeding a stream of grain to the receiving end of the upper of said screens, a valve-controlled spraynozzle for directing a spray of finely divided disinfecting material to'the grain at the receiving end of saidv upper screen, a tank containing said disinfecting material and which is connected with said nozzle, and means for-supplying air under pressure to saidtank to force saidmaterial through said nozzle. Witness my hand, this26 day of May, 1919. a 

